Some pizzeria owners in New York City may soon need to pay thousands of dollars in renovations to keep their coal and wood-fire ovens over environmental concerns with “air quality”.
Getting Crusty Over Wood Fired Ovens
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has drafted new rules that would require pizzerias with coal and wooden-fire ovens installed prior to 2016 to cut carbon emissions by 75%, according to the New York Post. Restaurant owners would be forced to install a filter to the specified ovens then hire an engineer to regularly inspect the carbon emissions.
On Monday, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection announced it would be holding a virtual public hearing on July 27 at 11 a.m. about the guidelines.
“Let’s let the public weigh in, and then we can have a conversation if we’re going to move forward or not,” Mayor Eric Adams said.
The rule could require pizzerias with such ovens installed prior to May 2016 to buy pricey emission-control devices — with the owner of one Brooklyn joint saying he’s already tossed $20,000 on an air filter system in anticipation of the new mandate.
Who Will Be Effected
Less than 100 businesses would be affected if the rules were to go into effect.
Some of the pizza joints facing the heat include Lombardi’s in Little Italy, Arturo’s in Soho, John’s of Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village, Macoletta in Astoria, Patsy’s in Turtle Bay and the Upper West Side, Paulie Gee’s in Greenpoint Grimaldi’s near the Brooklyn Bridge and Totonno’s in Coney Island.
“Some pizzerias are concerned that it could change the flavor. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I don’t want to spend 20, 30 thousand dollars and screw up the pizza,” Frank Santora with Grimali’s Coal Brick-Oven Pizza said.
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy sounded off Monday on the Big Apple’s proposal targeting pizza joints that use pollutant-heavy coal-and-wood-fired ovens.
“If they come after John’s of Bleecker I will come for their throat and I will never let go until I squeeze the life out of them,” Portnoy vowed. “Leave the f—king pizzerias alone.”
Elon Musk Thinks It’s BS
Elon Musk shared his thoughts Monday on a proposed rule that would require New York City pizzerias with coal or wood-fire ovens to cut carbon emissions at a significant cost.
“This is utter bs. It won’t make a difference to climate change,” Musk tweeted in response to another tweet on the matter.
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